Is Ego Depletion Real? An Analysis of Arguments
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Authors
An influential line of research suggests that initial bouts of self-control increase the susceptibility to self-control failure (ego depletion effect). Despite seemingly abundant evidence, some researchers have suggested that evidence for ego depletion was the sole result of publication bias and p-hacking, with the true effect being indistinguishable from zero. Here, we examine (a) whether the evidence brought forward against ego depletion will convince a proponent that ego depletion does not exist and (b) whether arguments that could be brought forward in defense of ego depletion will convince a skeptic that ego depletion does exist. We conclude that despite several hundred published studies, the available evidence is inconclusive. Both additional empirical and theoretical works are needed to make a compelling case for either side of the debate. We discuss necessary steps for future work toward this aim.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | Personality and Social Psychology Review |
| Volume | 23 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| Pages (from-to) | 107-131 |
| Number of pages | 25 |
| ISSN | 1088-8683 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 01.05.2019 |
- ego depletion, p-hacking, replicability crisis, self-control, self-regulation
- Psychology